AEI Bulletin: October - December 2018

Visit by a delegation from the Antall Jozsef Knowledge Centre, Hungary

The Director of the Antall Jozsef Knowledge Centre, Péter Antall, and his colleagues accompanied by the Ambassador of Hungary to Malaysia, HE Attila Káli, visited AEI on 2 October 2018. The meeting included information sharing and a discussion on possible collaboration between the AEI and the Centre.

Building Social Research Capacities in Higher Education Institutions in Lao PDR and Malaysia (BRECIL)

The Asia-Europe Institute is leading the Building Social Research Capacities in Higher Education Institutions in Lao PDR and Malaysia (BRECIL) project in partnership with the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, the University of Groningen, Netherlands, the University of Applied Languages, Germany, National University of Laos and Souphanouvong University, Laos, and Universiti Utara Malaysia. BRECIL is a multi-country Erasmus+ CBHE joint project involving higher education institutions from both the EU and ASEAN countries.

A project seminar was held on the 26 to 28 of September 2018 at Souphanouvong University, Luang Prabang in Lao PDR. Various project information sessions were conducted and outputs for Work Package 1 was presented and reviewed. A planning session for the Training of Trainers (TOT) programme development and training plans were also conducted. This was followed by two meetings in October held in the University of Malaya in order to kick start Work Package 2 as well as revise and review the TOT action plans and the results of the Annual Quality Survey.

Publication: Looking Back and Looking Ahead: The ASEM Education Process – History and Vision 2008-2018

During the SOM1 in Krems (Austria) in October 2018, the following publication was officially launched: "Looking Back and Looking Ahead: The ASEM Education Process – History and Vision 2008-2018" edited by Prof. Alexandra Angress and Dr. Siegbert Wuttig. This publication creates, for the first time, a multifaceted portrait of the ASEM Education Process (AEP) from different perspectives by the editors and various authors from ASEM members and stakeholders. Information on the Asia-Europe Institute and its activities are found in this publication. Read more

Download the book (PDF format)

Workshop On Erasmus+ Grant Applications

On 12 and 13 November, the Asia-Europe Institute hosted a workshop on Erasmus+ Grant Application. The two days’ workshop provided an intensive learning experience in order to facilitate Malaysian Higher Education Institutes and researchers with the know-how and information on how to write and submit a successful application for an Erasmus+ grant. The program was facilitated by EU Expert, Mr. Andy Gibbs, Executive Director of AEI, Professor Dr Azirah Hashim and Project Manager of Erasmus+ BRECIL, Mr. Yee Chee Leong.

PhD Coffee Mornings

The Asia-Europe Institute launched a “PhD Coffee Mornings” on 30 November 2018 as a platform for the doctorate students to meet and discuss the development of their research. The project was spearheaded by Dr. Fumitaka Furuoka and is aimed to become a monthly informal gathering for the doctorate students. The session included presentations from PhD students as well as a lively discussion session concerning the details of the research that was presented.

Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics International Conference (MAALIC) 2018

The Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics co-organised the Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics International Conference (MAALIC) with the Asia-Europe Institute (AEI) and the Centre for ASEAN Regionalism University of Malaya (CARUM) on 3-4 December 2018. The two-day conference themed “Applied Linguistics and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Language, Communication and the Professions” featured speakers from various ASEAN countries both from academic and industrial backgrounds. Included in the itinerary of the program was the Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics (MAAL) – Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics (SAAL) – Thailand Association for Applied Linguistics (TAAL) Symposium which discussed the theme “Applied Linguistics in Southeast Asia: Research and Practice”.

The conference featured four keynote speakers:

• Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, Rector, International Islamic University Malaysia; Senior Advisor, Asia-Europe Institute, University of Malaya
• Professor Vijay Bhatia, Visiting Professor, Hellenic American University, Athens (Greece) and Adjunct Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Professor Daniel Perrin, President, International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA), Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland
• Dr Marlies Whitehouse, Treasurer, International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA), Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland

The conference also marked the launch of the AILA ASEAN Network by Professor Daniel Perrin, AILA President, from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland and AILA Vice-President, Prof. Dr. Azirah Hashim. The Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée or International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA) is an international federation of national and regional associations of Applied Linguistics. AILA has a membership of more than 8,000 individuals worldwide who as researchers, policymakers or practitioners are active in the field of Applied Linguistics. AILA ASEAN is part of an AILA initiative that has seen a number of regional networks established over the years. The new network will facilitate people-to-people connectivity in the field of applied linguistics in Southeast Asia, thereby promoting one of ASEAN’s foremost goals.

Visit by ASEM Secretariat Brussels

Dr Nadia Reynders from the ASEM Secretariat located in Brussels, Belgium visited AEI for an information sharing session on 11 December 2018. She was hosted by Professor Azirah Hashim, the Executive Director of AEI.

Visit from Higher Education representatives of Hungary

AEI hosted a delegate of Higher Education representatives from Hungary on 18 December 2018. The event, organized by the Asia-Europe Institute in cooperation with the Embassy of Hungary in Malaysia provided a showcase of 14 Hungarian Public Universities and the various courses available for prospective students. There was also a presentation by the representative of The Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme which is based on bilateral education cooperation agreements signed between the Ministries responsible for education in the sending countries/territories and Hungary or between institutions. The Hungarian government has offered 40 scholarships to Malaysian students to further their studies in Hungary.

Activities by AEI Academic Staff

Consultative Council on Foreign Policy (CCFP)

Two of Asia-Europe Institute’s senior advisors, Tan Sri Dato' Seri Mohamed Jawhar Hassan and Ambassador (R) Dato’ M. Redzuan Kushairi have been appointed as members of the Consultative Council on Foreign Policy (CCFP) set up under the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in October of 2018. According to the Ministry, the CCFP was set up in order to serve “as a platform for the Government to solicit views and inputs from stakeholders, including Civil Society in formulating suitable policy approaches that have an impact on national interests.”

Read the press release here

The AEI academic staff were also active throughout the last quarter of 2018. Some of the activities attended or carried out by the AEI academic members are as follow:

Professor Dr Azirah Hashim attended a reception for Mr. Richard Bruton T.D, Minister for Education and Skills of Ireland, hosted by the Ambassador of Ireland, HE Eamon Hickey, on 20 September 2018 at the Embassy of Ireland in Kuala Lumpur and later a reception by Trinity College Dublin hosted by the President and Provost of TCD, Professor Patrick Prendergast, and the Ambassador of Ireland to Malaysia, HE Eamon Hickey, on 7 November 2018. She was also an invited participant at the Erasmus+ Regional Seminar for Asia at Pullman Hotel KL, 24-25 October 2018. On 19 to 28 November 2018, Professor Azirah was in Japan for a promotional and networking visit to several universities in the country which included meetings with academics from Kyoto University, Nihon University, Sofia University, Takachigi University, Tamagawa University, Kyushu University and Hokkaido University.

Professor Azirah was Chairperson of the Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics International Conference (MAALIC) 2018 held on 3 - 4 December 2018 where she initiated the set-up of the AILA ASEAN network and presented in a panel on ‘The Future of Applied Linguistics in ASEAN’. On 18 December 2018 she attended a dinner with Ambassador of Hungary to Malaysia, HE Attila Káli, and a delegation of 14 Hungarian public universities in conjunction with The Facon Education Fair. Professor Azirah also presented the final report on ‘Leadership Policies in Higher Education in SEAMEO Member Countries: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Lao PDR’ to the Director and colleagues at AKEPT, 20 December 2018.

On 5 September, Professor Anthony Milner gave the ‘Keynote lecture’ at Binus University, Jakarta, for the conference: “Repositioning Indonesia in the World: Geopolitics, Business and Diplomacy’. He was then – Sep 13-14 - joint Convenor (with Prof Zhao Daojiong) of the Peking University and Asialink academic conference: ‘Norms, Principles and Rules – Rethinking the Equation’. This was held at the University of Peking.

On 21-23 October, Professor Milner delivered the end of Dialogue ‘Commentary’ at the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Dialogue, hosted by ISIS Malaysia on behalf of ASEAN-ISIS, Kuala Lumpur.Related article He then gave the ‘Keynote Lecture’ at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah International Conference: ‘Whither Globalisation? What’s Next? (30 Oct 2018).

On 29-30 November, he co-chaired an international seminar on ‘Prospects for a Consensus on Norms in the Indo Pacific’, held in conjunction with the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) 50th Steering Committee Meeting, and also the Perth US-Asia Centre at the University of Western Australia. He co-chaired the CSCAP Steering Committee itself on the afternoon of 30 November.

On December 4 Professor Milner gave a presentation and chaired a session in a dialogue between the Delhi Policy Group and the Australian Committee of CSCAP, in New Delhi. The topic was: ‘Emerging Realignments in the Indo-Pacific’. On 5 Dec he was a presenter at the follow-up conference: ‘Emerging Realignments in the Indo-Pacific: Perspectives of Europe, India, Southeast Asia and Australia’. This last conference was hosted by the Delhi Policy Group and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Associate Professor Dr. Sameer Kumar presented three peer-reviewed papers at the International Conference on Advances in Civil Engineering and Science Technology (ICACEST) 2018 organized by the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Penang Campus, Penang and supported by King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand. The conference was held at Eastin Hotel, Penang, on the 5th and 6th of September 2018. Dr. Sameer Kumar also participated in the ISIS PRAXIS Economic Seminar #GameChangers2019 on 4 October 2018 held at Sheraton Imperial, Kuala Lumpur as a representative of AEI. The event was organised by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), Malaysia.

Dr Rahul Mishra presented a paper on China-ASEAN Relations at the 11th China-ASEAN Think Tank Strategic Dialogue Forum held on 17th and 18th September 2018 in Nanning, Guangxi, China. The forum was jointly organised by the Counsellors' Office of the State Council, the people's government of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

He also presented a paper on "Security Regionalism: Can EU be the Model for ASEAN?" at a Conference titled "Comparing Regionalism: The EU Model as Reference Point for Integrating Regions” hosted by the Ateneo De Manila University in Manila on November 16, 2018. He also presented a paper on the China-Philippines Relations at a conference held in Guangzhou, China on December 15, 2018. Dr Rahul Mishra also lent his insight into several issues on international relations with the international media including the BBC, Nikkei Asian Review, and Dutch Welle (Germany). The details of his media interactions are as follows:

• BBC, India: Strategic scenario in Asian in the context of Abe-Modi Summit, October 28, 2018
• Nikkei Asian Review, Japan: Europe and Belt and Road Initiative, September 21, 2018
• Nikkei Asian Review: ASEM Summit, October 18, 2018
• Deutsche Welle, Germany: 13th Japan-India Summit Meeting, 28 October, 2018
• Mint, Hindustan Times, India: Importance of ASEM, October, 29, 2018
• All India Radio: India’s reaffirms its Commitment to ASEAN at the 13th East Asia Summit, November 16, 2018
• All India Radio: RCEP Negotiations Make Headway in Singapore, September 4, 2018
• Opinion: The importance of Asia-Europe cooperation
• Asia-Europe trade talks eclipsed by Brexit and protectionism
• Interview with BBC on the strategic scenario in Asia in the context of the Shinzo Abe - Modi summit

Dr. Nurliana Kamaruddin participated in the FES-APISA Conference on “Regional Interdependencies of Democratisation in Asia”. The conference was hosted by the Graduate School of International Studies of Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea and co-organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Korea Office and the Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA). Dr Nurliana and Dr. Roy Anthony Rogers from the Department of Strategic and International Studies, University of Malaya presented on the “State and Economic Nexus” of Malaysian democracy. Dr. Nurliana was also invited as a speaker for the Second Malaysia Scholars on Korea (MASK) Network Seminar on Tuesday, 4 December 2018 organized by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia together with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia.